Dealing with Tailong

"Go Xu Yuan!" Xiao Wu leaned over the front of the crowd, waving her fists vigorously.

Zhu Zhuqing also cheered for him: "Xu Yuan, go!"

"Tailong! Beat him! Let this Support-type know how tough you are!"

"Exactly! A Support Spirit Master daring to challenge a Battle Spirit Master? He doesn't know his place!"

"Go Tailong! If you win, I'll treat you to braised pork knuckles at the cafeteria!"

The shouting from the surrounding crowd rose and fell, leaning almost entirely in Tailong's favor.

Many boys watched Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing cheering for Xu Yuan, their eyes burning with jealousy.

How could this Support-type win the favor of two goddesses?

Many girls cheered for Xu Yuan as well, as they were quite fond of a handsome guy like him.

Tailong felt his blood boil at the spectacle; he slammed his chest, and his Great Strength Ape spirit instantly possessed him.

Brown-black fur sprouted from beneath his skin, his muscles swelled instantly, and his arms grew thick as pillars.

"Roar!" Tailong let out a roar akin to an ape.

A yellow spirit ring shimmered beneath his feet as he unleashed his second spirit skill without reservation.

"Second Spirit Skill: Explosive Giant Strength."

Tailong's body suddenly expanded, and the veins on his already thick arms bulged, as if they contained the power to tear through steel.

He stomped his feet, causing the stone tiles to crack with fine lines, and launched himself at Xu Yuan like a cannonball.

His fist carried a sharp, whistling wind, and the air itself seemed to whimper under the pressure of such immense force.

"Be careful!" Xiao Wu gasped, her heart leaping into her throat.

Zhu Zhuqing also clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white, her gaze locked onto the arena.

Watching Tailong's fist, Xu Yuan easily dodged the attack.

The Blue Silver Emperor burst from the ground, instantly wrapping around Tailong's arms and waist.

The moment the vines touched Tailong's skin, tiny white flowers bloomed, their petals coated in crystalline dew, emitting a fragrance that calmed the mind.

"Eh?" Tailong was just about to channel his spirit power to break free.

Suddenly, he felt a strange numbness where the vines were wrapped; his previously manic spirit power calmed down, and even his surging blood flow became docile.

What terrified him more was that his internal spirit power seemed to be quietly drained by the vines, making it difficult to even break them now.

"What kind of spirit skill is this?" Tailong was shocked and suspicious, looking down at the vines blooming with white flowers.

The moment Tailong's focus wavered due to the fragrance of the white flowers, Xu Yuan moved.

His figure was like lightning; taking advantage of the moment the Blue Silver Emperor bound Tailong, he utilized the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, turning himself into a blur.

Tailong felt his vision swim, and Xu Yuan's figure appeared half a step in front of him.

He instinctively tried to raise his fists to block, only to find his arms tightly bound by the Blue Silver Emperor, his spirit power sluggish, and his movements more than half a beat slow.

Xu Yuan's eyes narrowed, his right fist clenched, spirit power quietly condensing on his knuckles.

His punch broke through the air with steady force, landing squarely on Tailong's chest.

"Bang!"

A dull thud echoed across the training ground. Tailong felt as if his chest had been struck by a heavy hammer, and a massive force spread through his ribs, shaking his blood and qi.

"Urgh—"

Tailong groaned in pain, his massive body flying backward uncontrollably.

He traced an arc in the air before crashing heavily into the sand five meters away, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The Blue Silver Emperor retracted, and Xu Yuan stood where he was, a faint tingling sensation still lingering on his knuckles from the strike.

He watched Tailong struggling in the sand, but did not press the attack, standing quietly instead.

The surroundings fell completely silent.

Those who had been cheering for Tailong just a moment ago now stood with their mouths agape, their eyes filled with disbelief.

Tailong scrambled up from the ground in a sorry state and charged toward Xu Yuan again.

"First Spirit Skill: Rock Solid Defense."

The yellow light of Tailong's first spirit ring lit up, and a layer of earthy yellow radiance instantly covered his entire body. His skin seemed to turn into hard rock, and even the dull pain from the previous punch lessened.

He roared as he charged at Xu Yuan, arms held in front of him, intending to use this rock-like defense to ram his opponent away.

"Still at it?" Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow, his footwork shifting as he used the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track once more.

Like a ghost, he circled to Tailong's side, his fingertips twitching as several Blue Silver Emperor vines burst from the ground again.

This time, the Blue Silver Emperor did not bind him directly; instead, like a flexible whip, it lashed out at the back of Tailong's knees with a whistling sound.

Xu Yuan knew very well that while Rock Solid Defense could strengthen one's defense, it made the joints sluggish.

That was the flaw of this spirit skill.

"Snap! Snap!"

Two crisp sounds rang out as the Blue Silver Emperor struck Tailong's knees with pinpoint accuracy.

Tailong felt a numbness in the back of his legs, and his momentum, which had seemed unstoppable, instantly lost its balance. His massive frame stumbled forward, nearly face-planting into the sandy ground.

Xu Yuan activated his Blue Silver Domain, converting the surrounding Blue Silver Grass into Blue Silver Emperor to bind Tailong.

Just as Tailong managed to steady himself from his stumble, he felt a dense, constricting sensation beneath his feet.

He looked down to see countless Blue Silver Emperor vines surging from all directions, wrapping around his ankles, calves, and waist like a rising tide.

The quantity this time far exceeded before, sealing off every gap around his body.

"No!" Tailong roared, pushing his Rock Solid Defense to the limit.

An earthy-yellow halo flared brightly, attempting to snap the vines with the hardness of rock.

Yet, these Blue Silver Emperor vines, transformed by the domain, were several times tougher than before. Not only did they refuse to break, but they tightened further, their barbs digging deep into his rock-like skin and sending waves of sharp pain through him.

"How is this possible..." Despair filled Tailong's eyes.

He could not fathom how an auxiliary-system soul master could be this formidable.

Xu Yuan pressed his advantage, refusing to give Tailong a single opening, and took a deep breath before driving a fist into Tailong's stomach.

His fist, carrying soul power condensed to the extreme, landed precisely on the area of Tailong's abdomen where the Blue Silver Emperor was bound tightest.

Though this was an area covered by the Rock Solid Defense, the tension from the vines had created a minute flaw in the protection.

"Bang!"

The force of this punch was heavier than the last, striking like a blow to a taut drumhead and emitting a dull, resonant echo.

Tailong felt a piercing agony explode from his gut, and the earthy-yellow defensive halo dimmed instantly, as if its very foundation had been shattered by the strike.

The Blue Silver Emperor vines on his body seized the opportunity to tighten violently, their barbs sinking deep into his skin until his vision blurred with pain.

"Urgh..." A muffled groan escaped Tailong's throat, and he could no longer hold himself up.

His massive body collapsed to his knees with a thud, the impact kicking up a cloud of dust that coated his face.

The halo of the Rock Solid Defense dissipated completely, and the brown-black fur receded to reveal his original form. He was deathly pale, his lips trembling, and he lacked even the strength to stand.

The Blue Silver Emperor vines slowly retracted as Xu Yuan stood before Tailong.

"You lost."